Amazing
by Nerdmom1701
Summary: When Hiccup is feeling a little sad and confused, Astrid makes it her business to find out why. Hiccstrid. Rated T for mild swearing and situations. You have been warned.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N -** This fic is a tag to the Riders of Berk episode "Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man". Astrid makes it very plain that she really likes the first portrait, and I wondered how Hiccup ultimately felt about that. This story is also a prequel, of sorts, for a much longer fic, "Chasing Astrid" which isn't finished yet, but will be published by the end of summer if I can get my keister in gear.

One note: in my world of Berk, I have borrowed an idea that I first saw in Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" series — a must read for dragon lovers everywhere. In my version of this world, it is possible to get mastery in your chosen profession, outside of just the area that you live - universities, for lack of a better term - for all Vikings in the greater archipelago, that are independent of the Chiefs.

This is my first fic in this genre, and probably the youngest audience that I will be writing for. It is also a labour of love, and a subject that both my son and myself share an enthusiasm for. Sorry, a very long winded intro. I'll do better next time. As always, reviews are always appreciated:-) Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own How to Train Your Dragon, just my imagination and the voices in my head.

* * *

Astrid was a Viking on a mission.

She hadn't been on one initially. Although she prided herself on being very observant, she firmly believed in the 'mind your own business, live and let live' philosophy – especially when it concerned her teammates.

Oh, she liked her friends well enough, and even had a more than passing concern for their well being. It was just that, when it came to the other dragon riders, their side hobbies ranged from being rather boring to simply bizarre, and quite often really annoying. Given that she admittedly had some anger and violence issues, although she would never admit that out loud to anyone, it had always seemed best for all concerned if she left the others to their bliss and continued to do what she did best – namely combat training and flying.

She would be doing that right now, if a certain someone wasn't on her mind, causing her to break her own self-imposed rule and go and see what he was up to. Actually, Hiccup was the reason she broke a lot of her self-imposed rules, but that was something she tried very hard not to look too closely at.

As it was, she was worried about the Chief's son, not to mention a little annoyed, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it, so she could get back to minding her own business again.

For the past few days, Hiccup had been walking around in a funk. She couldn't really call it a bad mood, or even a depression. He just seemed a bit off – being quiet, making one word answers, and not being as enthusiastic about training as he usually was. The last part had gotten her attention in a big way. He had also been a bit short with his temper, but it had been subtle so far. Certainly no one had mentioned it, but maybe she had tuned into it just because she knew him so well. Yet another thing she didn't really want to examine too much.

The really weird thing was that he should have been really happy – smug even. He had almost single handedly found the treasure of Hamish the First, one of Berk's richest leaders. The clues left by his son, Hamish the Second, had baffled people for generations, but Hiccup had figured them all out – in one day no less.

Astrid was convinced that even Hiccup's own father, whom she greatly admired, wouldn't have been able to do what Hiccup had done, even if he had been given all the locations for the clues. It was a great achievement, even though the tomb had been sealed off and the treasure lost to them again. Hiccup should have been basking in the glory of the victory.

Instead – funk.

She even thought that he would lighten up, once the new portrait was done, showing him in a much more realistic look. He had seemed happy for a while, but it hadn't been long before he had gone back into his funky mood again.

This time, Astrid had had enough. After Hiccup hadn't come to dragon training this morning, Astrid had taken over and put everyone through their paces, just letting them all think that it had been planned that way. As soon as the practice was done, however, she mounted her dragon Stormfly and went on a systematic search to find their derelict leader, with the sole intention of either cheering him up or punching him out, depending on what mood she was in when she found him. At the moment, she was leaning toward the latter.

After spending the better part of an hour in the air, Astrid finally spotted Toothless lying near the edge of a small cliff top, soaking up the sun's warmth into his ebony hide. Since the dragon was always near his rider, she assumed that Hiccup was probably somewhere nearby. Deciding that she could use a little exercise, and some time to cool down, Astrid had Stormfly land about three hundred metres away from Toothless, in a little clearing further inland.

For a moment she just sat in the saddle, uncertain of how she wanted to proceed. Despite her ire, it wasn't really in her to violate his privacy needlessly. It was only because she truly felt she had just cause, that she set her shoulders, placed her axe in it's sheathe on her back, and dismounted from Stormfly's saddle. Once on the ground, Astrid took her satchel off Stormfly's seat and added some things into it, before placing the strap across her body to secure it.

Astrid scratched Stormfly's chin. She could tell that her dragon was tired from the morning's exertions.

"Hey, girl. Why don't you stay here and relax while I go and see the boys. I'll whistle if I need you." Stormfly clicked and trilled her acceptance of the idea, and proceeded to settle herself as Astrid regarded the trees, getting her bearings before she headed off into the woods, towards the cliff's edge.

The hike was tough going, with lots of roots and ground cover obscuring the way and slowing down her progress. Her mood was swiftly going dark again, until she spotted the object of her quest.

Hiccup was seated against a large tree, right on the edge, where the trees met the clearing of the cliff top. Although he was in Toothless's eyesight, the tree cast a shadow over the area, which probably explained why she hadn't seen him in the beginning. The area was amazingly warm, protected from the winds by the trees and the rocky outcroppings surrounding the clearing.

Astrid gazed out at the water of the North Sea. The view wasn't particularly inspiring, but she had to admit, it was really peaceful. She glanced to her right and noticed that Hiccup's eyes were closed, apparently unaware of her presence. Even Toothless didn't seem to notice, or at least wasn't concerned enough to make his rider aware of her, so she took a moment to catch her breath, and let the peace of the place wash over her for a few moments more.

When she felt like she was calm enough to not punch Berk's heir in the gut, Astrid hiked the last two metres into the clearing, careful to make enough noise to alert the boys of her presence. Toothless's head popped up just as she leaned against a tree and gazed down at the top of Hiccup's head.

"Well, look what I found, finally." She smirked, crossing her arms and ankles as she looked down at him, watching with amusement as he jumped in surprise and banged his head against the tree behind him.

"Ow! Oh, hi… hi Astrid… Ow, hi there." He rubbed the back of his head, wincing when his fingers touched the spot that he had banged. "Yeah, I guess you found me." For a second, his eyes lit up at the sight of her, like they often did when he saw her and she came to say hello. Her heart leapt in her chest at that look, only to be crushed a little when the light went out of them, and he looked back out onto the sea.

"Well, you missed a little bit of drama at dragon practice today." She pushed on, deciding to ignore the hurt she felt at his apparent brush off. She waited a second, to see if he would want her to elaborate. The silence seemed to last for eternity, until he seemed to break down a bit and glance her way.

"Oh?" He asked politely. She decided to take his brevity as consent to continue, and took a deep breath as she smiled at him, determined to get him to react.

"Hmm, yes it was quite dramatic. The gossip is that Ruff and Tuff's mother has kicked the twins out of the house – for good this time, apparently. Rumour has it that Tuff wanted to test out his latest invention, a fireproof mixture for fabrics, so he sprayed Ruff's hair with it and tried to set her head on fire." Astrid had pushed off the tree and started to leisurely pace back and forth, gesturing to the story in front of the prone Hiccup, who was watching her movement, apparently in spite of himself.

"Apparently this spray doesn't mix well with the fish oil that Ruff wears in her hair." She continued. " Ruff lost a whole braid of her hair before she could put the flames out. Unfortunately, she was too late to keep her hair from igniting the drapes and blanket in the living room. The whole place would have gone up like kindling, if their father Buffnut, hadn't just brought home a cask full of cod and seawater."

Hiccup snorted and he looked like he was supressing a grin. Astrid grinned right back at him and continued the story. "As you can imagine, their house smells like cod right now, and Grete was apocalyptic in her rage. Apparently, she chased them both with a rolling pin for over an hour. Thank Thor they take after their father and can outrun their mother, because Ruff was certain that she really was going to kill them this time." She giggled a little at the memory, and was relieved to see Hiccup smiling at her narration.

"So where are the twins going to stay until their mother cools down?" He queried lightly, his voice unconcerned and dry with wit. The twins getting kicked out of their house was not a unique occurrence, but fortunately their mother had a short memory and was long in forgiveness, so it wasn't likely the eviction was permanent.

"Oh, I'm thinking the usual. Ruff will probably stay with me for a few days. I'd let Tuff stay on the couch, but my father nixed that idea a while ago, even with Ruff there as well. He'll probably just bunk with Stormfly in the barn."

"And Stormfly's okay with that?"

She smirked. "Ironically, yes. The two of them get along surprisingly well, after a fashion. They have a deal of sorts worked out when he sleeps there. As long as he doesn't snore too loud, she's just fine. If he does, he gets a wing to the back of the head."

Hiccup snorted, and smiled up at his teammate. For a long moment, their eyes locked on each other and Astrid was shocked to see a look of sadness and hurt reflected back at her before Hiccup's eyes darted to his dragon, and then down to the ground.

"Hiccup, what's wrong, really," she finally asked, her voice soft and tinged with worry. "And don't tell me it's nothing, cause we both know that's bull. You've been walking around in a daze for a while, and you even missed dragon training. I thought that it was the beginning of Ragnarök when you didn't show up."

Hiccup snorted a laugh at that, and sighed as he glanced her way before going back to stare at the ocean. "It's really nothing, Astrid. I'm sorry that I've worried you. Why don't you go back to the others and have fun. I'm sure Snotlout would be much better company than me right now."

Astrid stared at him in stunned silence. Just stared. Her hearing must be faulty – that was the only conclusion. Either that, or the man was insane – truly insane. She leaned against a nearby tree and folded her arms over her chest to glare down at him.

"Okay, first off, I need a straight answer. When the ground was collapsing in Hamish the First's tomb, were you hit on the head with a large heavy boulder? Have you fallen down the steps to the wharf? Fell several kilometres off of Toothless's back? 'Cause I think we need to get you to Gothi immediately. You obviously have an undiagnosed head injury that needs to be seen to immediately. _'Snotlout would be much better company?'_ By the gods, Hiccup, you were better company than him, even after the battle with the Red Death – and you were unconscious then!"

"Good to know that I can entertain, even while passed out." He said dryly.

Astrid's eyes narrowed at his sarcasm, but she didn't respond. That month after the battle had been terrifying to her, for a lot of different reasons. Despite that, they had never spoken about it and for the most part, they both acted like it never happened. It was definitely easier on her that way.

Hiccup probably would have thought that she had forgot about it entirely, except that she carried extra cream and pads for his prosthetic and stump in her saddle bags, in case that he needed them when they went out on missions or training exercises.

He had never asked her to, but one night when they had camped out, she had pulled out the supplies and proceeded to tend to his leg. They had been in the water for several hours, and his stump and his prosthetic had gotten soaked, to the point that his leg had started to ache in the cup that attached to his leg. Of course, she had noticed that. The others hadn't noticed his limp, but really the others were idiots, so it really wasn't all that surprising.

Everyone had changed their clothes and let them dry near the fire, but Hiccup – being a stubborn idiot – hadn't taken his prosthetic off. So, as soon as everyone went to bed, Astrid had come out of her tent, supplies in hand, and ambushed him, forcing him to take it off so she could treat the skin underneath. She knew that he almost died from embarrassment when she took off the peg leg, but she had been very detached and efficient about the whole thing – cleaning the stub of muck from the river, rubbing in a numbing, healing ointment and then wrapping it lightly for bed.

She remembered that he had looked up at her with those amazing green eyes that had been filled with such gratitude when she had finished with her ministrations.

She remembered she had squeezed his shoulder and looked seriously at him when he had asked why she did it. "This is your leg, Hiccup," she said gently. "You have to look after it like you do the rest of your body. I keep medical supplies for everyone, in case of burns, falls or breaks. You're part of the team. I keep stuff for you as well." She had quickly got up after that and went into her tent, before she said something stupid that she couldn't take back.


	2. Chapter 2

She was feeling the urge to say something cutting right now, but she let the moment pass in silence, since she hadn't got an answer to her question and she wasn't leaving until he gave her one.

"I just meant that Snotlout is more of your type, that's all." He answered finally, when the silence, and her expression, started to make him nervous and babble.

"My _type_?" She asked; her voice going deathly quiet as her body froze in what Hiccup was nervously starting to recognize as rage. Her fingers were starting to twitch and flex, as though needing the handle of her axe in them.

"Well, yes…I mean… maybe not your _type_ , type… but you gotta admit, he looks like a real Viking's Viking. That has to be really attractive."

"Yes, but the man's a maggot, so where are you going with this?" Her voice was still serious, but it had lost the deadly quality that had made Hiccup fear for his life just a moment ago.

"Nowhere…nowhere." He sighed, getting up and starting to pace about a metre away from her. "I just noticed that you liked that body type. I know… I know you liked that buff picture that Bucket painted of me on that first shield. I mean, that's not like me at all, really. I'll never get that kind of Viking look, and it sort of seems like a waste of time for you to be with me… you know…to keep helping me train. I mean…I'm never going to look like the way I was in that picture. I… I just don't want you to set yourself up for disappointment when I inevitably fail."

Astrid's eyes softened as he went on with his speech. When he finally stopped, his eyes snapped up when he heard her snort and saw the eye roll she made at him.

"Do you honestly think that I like, or spend time, with people based on their body type? Oh, okay, well that's insulting and shallow. Good to know how little you think of me."

"Astrid, I…"

"Don't Astrid _me_ , flyboy! I really thought that you knew me better. I don't just like you for your body… I like you for _you_!" She stopped suddenly, wishing that she had phrased that a bit better. _Dammit_ , she thought. _Quit saying things that you can't take back!_

"You really like me?" He asked hopefully, and her heart clenched when she heard how lonely and sad his voice sounded to her ears. He must have heard it too, because he quickly looked away and coughed a little, clearing his throat loudly as though a tickle in his throat was responsible.

Astrid sighed silently, considering. She didn't want to come across as needy or pathetic. She certainly didn't want to sound too girly either. The truth was she had a lot of unexamined feelings for the young man in front of her – some that she'd rather not explore or declare at this moment. Still, looking at him now, she couldn't bring herself to hedge her answers or equivocate. She owed him that much.

"Hiccup." She sighed, more forcefully this time. "I don't _just_ like you. You've become my best friend; maybe even more than that – my closest friend. You helped bring Stormfly into my life and made living here on Berk so much more exciting. I couldn't imagine life here without you. You'll also be my Chief someday, and I'm excited to see that happen as well."

The look on Hiccup's face was priceless. It had gone from clenched jaw resignation to shock, and then finally to grateful happiness. His eyes shined as he looked at her, and then completely shocked her as well when he closed the space between them and reached out to clasp her hands in his own, gripping them tightly.

"Thank you for that, Astrid." He said in quiet gratitude. He continued to hold her hands for a few moments, and Astrid found to her surprise that she was loath to let the moment pass. She let her fingers intertwine with his own and added her grip to his, watching as his grin grew wider and knowing she probably looked ridiculous because the grin on his face matched the one on her own.

Hiccup released one of her hands to turn slightly, pulling her lightly to the tree where he had been sitting. With a gesture and a tilt of his head, he invited her to sit down with him, never letting go of the hand he currently held. Astrid wasn't exactly sure what he was up to, but she decided to play along since he seemed to be in better spirits.

Once settled, both of them turned their gaze to the sea, occasionally stopping to chuckle and remark on Toothless's antics as he rolled on the ground and tried to bat at the butterflies with his upraised feet. Through it all, Hiccup kept Astrid's hand firmly in his own, and Astrid would squeeze hers tighter if she wanted his attention, or in reaction when he said something funny.

They sat there for quite some time, just enjoying each other's company, when Hiccup cast a nervous glance her way, then started staring at the ground, his lips pursed as though thinking really hard.

"All right, what's up now?" She drawled, knowing that he was trying to figure out a way to talk to her about something, but wasn't sure of the approach. She had seen that look too many times not to know it by heart.

"Astrid… I… I want to ask you a question… and I need you to promise that you'll give me a completely honest answer."

She froze a moment at the request, thinking over the implications of what he might ask her before giving her answer. "I can't promise that I'll answer just any question, Hiccup." She said finally. "But I promise that if I answer at all, it will be a completely honest one."

Hiccup considered that for a moment and then nodded in agreement. He'd prefer silence to lies any day, and he knew that if she didn't want to answer, there wasn't much he could do to make her anyways.

"Astrid, of the pictures Bucket painted of me and my dad… which one did you like best?" He asked, haltingly.

She smiled. "The second one," she said immediately. She really didn't even have to think about it.

"But you really liked the first one too, didn't you?" He said, more as a statement than a question.

 _Ah, and there it is_ , thought Astrid. Her lips pursed into a fine line, and Hiccup slumped, reading her response in her expression.

"Ah-ah," she motioned to him for silence, as she organized the thoughts in her head. She wanted Hiccup to understand, and she desperately wanted to make sure she said it correctly.

"Okay," she breathed, taking deep breath and looking at him sitting dejectedly beside her. She squeezed his hand and proceeded to answer when he looked up at her.

"My dad used to tell me a story about the gods," she began solemnly. "When they were making human beings, they took every positive attribute that ever was and mixed them up into a bowl, giving every person equal measure of everything good and positive, so that they would get along with one another.

Unfortunately, what the gods found was that people were boring. They did everything the same. Nobody was really great at anything, so nothing ever changed for the better – nobody depended on anybody else cause everybody could do everything, just not really well. That meant, when Loki got up to his old tricks and made life challenging, they couldn't adapt, and would often as not end up dying."

Hiccup nodded, caught up in spite of himself. "Hmm, like anyone can sail a boat in calm seas, but it takes a real master sailor to make it home in a gale force storm."

Astrid nodded excitedly, pleased he understood. "So the gods decided on another approach. They would give people different gifts, so that they could excel at certain things and contribute to the betterment of their clan. Of course, this also meant that people wouldn't be gifted with everything naturally, so they would have to struggle with some things to improve themselves, or accept that they might never have them at all. This also had the added benefit of keeping humans more humble, something that the gods were happy about as well."

"That's a great legend," Hiccup sighed, entertained, if still slightly confused. "I wonder why I've never heard that one before?"

"Oh, I'm sure my father made the whole thing up," she said with a laugh. "He started telling me that around the time I started asking why he was an artist and not a warrior. Anyway, even if it is complete rubbish, I often think about it when I'm watching people and trying to understand them." She grinned ruefully, and rubbed her eyes with her left hand, still holding on to Hiccup's left hand with her right.

"When Bucket painted the first picture, Dad said he did it in the classic style – idealized and perfect, according to our version of perfect. All the portraits were done that way, even Hamish the First and Second." Astrid faltered a moment as the next words slid past. "When I saw that first portrait, I was a little blown away by how – well, perfect you looked in it."

Hiccup didn't seem to know how to respond to that. His face flushed at what was obviously a compliment, but he didn't seem too sure that he should be happy about it.

Astrid held both his hands again and smiled softly at him. "Hiccup, I know that you don't believe this, but you really are amazing. You have so many gifts that the gods have given you, I sometimes wonder how you juggle them all. You are sweet, kind and gentle – not to mention insanely smart and wickedly funny. You think outside the box, and you're not afraid to try new things, even if they fail. Even with all of that, you don't shove your position or status around, and make other people feel inferior. You're a real people person."

Astrid looked down for a moment, and then raised her eyes to stare into his, willing him to see a truth that she believed with every fibre of her being. " I can also see a day when the villagers will come to you like they come to Stoick," she said softly, "and they won't be calling you "hiccup" anymore – they'll be calling you Chief."

To call Hiccup's cheeks flushed would be an understatement. The man was practically scarlet in the face, and he was shifting around in embarrassment. "I've got plenty of faults as well," he mumbled, glancing up at her eyes.

She grinned. "Oh, unchallenged," she teased, and was pleased when he huffed a laugh in response. "My point is, your greatest virtues – and some of your vices – are on the inside. The good stuff just shines through, but it is hard to capture in paint. Bucket can see it, but he chose the easy way to express it the first time. He chose to make you as impressive on the outside as you are on the inside. And I must say, he made you extremely impressive." Astrid rolled her eyes playfully and fanned herself with her hand for emphasis.

Hiccup sarcastically rolled his eyes as well, but Astrid was pleased he didn't seem upset at her reaction anymore. She grinned again and squeezed his hands. "The second portrait was much better, because Bucket "found" you in the picture, and was able to bring it all through. Even your father's expression was really amazing." Truthfully, she had been close to tears when she had seen the love and pride that Bucket had captured on Stoick's face. The whole portrait had been more like a tribute to Hiccup than to father and son, but she was not complaining and neither was Stoick.

"So you don't want that first portrait to hang on your bedroom wall?" He asked off the cuff, and then seemed stunned that he had said that out loud. One of his hands slapped over his mouth as his eyes widened in horror. "I – oh I'm – oh no! Astrid I'm so, so sorry! That came out – oh boy, did that come out wrong! I didn't –"

Astrid couldn't hold it back any longer. She roared with laughter at Hiccup's stunned and embarrassed expression. True, she had been surprised at him for a second for asking her if she wanted it – like some trashy pinup picture that she could moon and swoon over – but the look on his face afterwards was beyond priceless.

She supposed that she should feel insulted by the offer. If Snotlout had made the remark about a picture of _him_ , she probably would be chasing him around with her axe in retribution. She knew that Hiccup probably didn't mean it the way it sounded however, so she couldn't find it in her to be angry. In fact, she was having a hard time controlling her laughter.

Hiccup stood up and proceeded to whack his forehead against a tree trunk a little, leaning into the tree and speaking to it as though it could hear him. "Why do I always open my big mouth? You'd of thought that I would have learned something by now, but nooooo, I have to keep right on talking. Alienate the best person I've ever known, question her taste in men and then proceed to ask her if she wants an inaccurate picture of me! Yep Hiccup, you are one prize catch. Gods!"

By this time Astrid had been able to pull herself together enough to follow him to the tree, to make sure he didn't hurt himself. She had been a little stunned by the off-hand compliment, and a faint blush was still colouring her cheeks. Quietly giggling, she grabbed his shoulders gently and turned him around, finding herself really close to him when she did.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N -** This final chapter is the main reason for the T rating. I hope you have enjoyed the story. I have had a request for info on my new fic "Chasing Astrid". It takes place six months prior to HTTYD 2, and has the whole gang, while being very much Hiccstrid centric.

I have a policy of not uploading a fic until the whole thing is finished, as I get irritated when I invest in characters that end up being abandoned. Having said that, if you are interested, PM me, and I will send you the first chapter to read. As I've said, the whole story should be ready by the end of the summer. Thanks for reading, and review if you can;-)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own How to Train Your Dragon, just my imagination and the voices in my head.

* * *

It seemed the most natural thing in the world to give him a hug. Her arms were around him anyways and he seemed to need that extra bit of reassurance, to know that she wasn't angry. The way his arms immediately went around her waist let her know that she hadn't misread his mood.

The hug lasted a long time. It felt good to be in his arms, and she was again stunned to feel another emotion, one she wasn't expecting.

She felt safe.

She pulled back a bit to ask him a question, but the words died on her lips when she found herself almost nose to nose with him. His lips were only a breath away from her, but she couldn't tell that, because she had suddenly lost her ability to breathe.

Her tongue darted out a little to wet her lips, and it was enough for Hiccup to close the distance, and claim her mouth for his own. His lips gently touched hers, once, twice, and then pressed harder when they met with no objection. She gasped slightly at his initiative, and melted into him when he pulled her closer and his tongue entered into her mouth to deepen the kiss.

It was impossible not to respond, as desire flared in her core. Her arms circled his neck, her right hand sliding onto the back of his neck and fisting into the hair there, while her left hand travelled down his front, rubbing his chest slowly through the material of the tunic. Her tongue flicked at his lower lip, and she revelled in the soft groan of desire that escaped his lips.

Hiccup's hands travelled up her back, pulling her even closer to him. His fingers brushed the end of her braid, and he fondled it briefly before continuing on to her neck and then back down her back. His hand came around to the front as well and cupped her face on her cheek. When they finally parted to come up for air, he caressed her cheek again, kissing the corners of her mouth, seemingly desperate to give her as many kisses as he could before she moved too far away from him. His lips travelled down her neck, and he grinned in satisfaction when Astrid moaned softly and tilted her head to give him better access. He nibbled his way down to her collar bone, then came up and kissed her behind the ear, taking her lobe into his mouth and sucking on it lightly, making her shiver violently at the sensation.

 _This has to stop_ , she thought through a fog of desire that was so intense, it was scaring her a little. They were friends, hadn't they just declared themselves to be friends? This wasn't the way friends behaved, was it? Yet, she couldn't seem to make herself stop. Her hands were becoming addicted to the feel of his hair through her fingers, and the texture of his solid chest underneath the rough fabric of his shirt. As her hand came up his chest, she felt the smooth skin of his collarbone and revelled in the softness of his skin, and the slight hitch of his breath as he reacted to her touch. His lips claimed hers again as her hand clenched in his hair, pulling him closer to her.

She felt his hand travel down her back again and stop at the base of her tunic. There was a sliver of skin there, between the shirt and her skirt, and his fingers stopped, tentatively caressing her skin, no more than a finger length wide. He didn't try to pull her tunic up, or place his hand underneath the material, but the touch alone was enough to send soft groans through both of their mouths as she felt a pull in her groin that begged for more. His hand dropped a little lower and caressed her bottom, being careful of the spikes that adorned her skirt armour.

When he found a spot that was safe, his hand squeezed her bottom gently and it shifted her position, bringing her closer – enough that she could feel the movement in his pants that was the evidence of his arousal. It was that feeling that snapped Astrid back into reality. They couldn't do this – _she_ wasn't supposed to be doing this.

"Hiccup," she whispered, slightly irritated by the fact that her voice sounded so husky and wanting against his lips. "We have to stop. This isn't right. It's not the right time."

He placed two soft kisses against the corners of her mouth before he pulled back, his emerald green eyes gazing at her with intensity and desire. "No, it's the perfect time," he disagreed. "I've wanted to do that for so long now. I thought that I'd never have the chance, once you realized that I was the same clumsy, walking fishbone I was before; only now even clumsier, with a peg leg and a love of dragons that goes against three hundred years of Viking history." His calloused fingers caressed her face, drinking in the softness of her skin like they had on her back.

Astrid's eyes closed of their own volition, enjoying the sensation of his fingers on her cheek. His hand ghosted down her neck to land on the hollow where her neck met her collarbone. His other hand then snaked around her waist, pulling her close to him again as his fingers went up to her forehead, gently brushing away her bangs so he could see her completely.

"Milady," he breathed, sounding both a little sad and nervous, as though bracing himself for something he didn't want to hear. " I need to know what we are. What this is – what I am to you."

She blew out a breath and gave him a weak smile. "Complicated," she said finally. Her own hand went to Hiccup's cheek and she smiled wider when he leaned into her caress. "I care about you Hiccup, a great deal. But we are our parent's responsibility until we turn seventeen, and we are still only fifteen."

"Almost sixteen." Hiccup grumbled, but relented when she levelled a look at him.

"Beyond that, it's not a good idea to be seen being too close, especially given your position. If your father thinks that you are ready for larger commitments, like girlfriends or marriage, he might want you to take the Chiefdom early, and I don't think you want that right now, right?" Astrid bit back a grin when she saw Hiccup's horrified expression at the idea of becoming Chief anytime soon. Astrid knew him well enough to know that Hiccup didn't covet his father's position in the slightest. He had lots of plans for the Academy and himself – plans that would essentially be over if he had to become Chief for any reason.

"As for me, I can't be with anyone, at least not yet." She hesitated, biting her lip, considering. She hadn't told anyone her secret desire, other than her father, and she was a little reluctant to voice her dreams out loud.

"Why not?" he asked, his voice soft and encouraging. His expression was a little hesitant as well, waiting for her response.

"I… I want to be a real Shield Maiden, Hiccup." She confessed after a moment's hesitation, her words coming out in a rush. "I want to go to their island and learn from the other members. I want to join their Guild and make it my true vocation. I want to be a _real_ warrior – with a real warrior's training and pedigree." She stopped the onslaught of words with difficulty, clamping her jaw closed and daring to look him in the eye, waiting for an opinion that she realized meant a great deal to her.

Hiccup simply nodded in response, his expression looking slightly relieved at her declaration. He didn't seem surprised that she would want to further her training with other women to become the best she could be. The knot that was in her stomach up until now, suddenly dissolved at his acceptance of her ambition. She had been so afraid to tell him… or anyone for that matter. She should have known that Hiccup wouldn't be judgemental of having a dream, even if it were stupid or crazy.

The term 'shield maiden' was a generic term, often used for any girl or woman who tended to follow the warrior's path – she had been called that for years now. It was often used as a term of endearment to the little girls in the village – 'the little shield maiden' versus 'the little warrior'. True Shield Maidens – in the ancient, formalized runes – were another breed altogether. They were a group of women set apart, with their own code of conduct and loyalties. To become a true Shield Maiden, a woman must disavow all ties to her former life, swear loyalty to the Guild she would join, train to meet the standards that were expected of a Maiden of the Guild, and then come back to their island periodically, to help train the next generation of Guild members.

Once fully trained, a Shield Maiden could contract herself out to any group that would have need of her services, provided that the contract did not violate any of the Shield Maiden's code of ethics. A Shield Maiden could have children, and even marry, as long as it was understood that she had a loyalty to her Guild as well. The only stipulation was that she was unattached when she entered into the Guild way of life. While it was possible to break with the Guild, most Shield Maidens did not, so it was considered a rather permanent lifestyle change.

"I have to be invited to train with them, and they only take women who are sixteen or older," she explained quickly, both surprised and pleased that she had someone else to talk to about it all. "But I can't have any ties or commitments to anyone when I leave for my training," she said a little sadly.

"Well, at least we're turning sixteen in a couple of months, so you won't have long to wait before you can apply for the training," he sighed, trying to be happy for her that things could move forward for her soon.

Astrid's head dropped down a little, a blush of embarrassment colouring her cheeks. She looked up at him hesitantly, and pursed her lips into a hard line. "I have to be invited, Hiccup. They don't have general cattle calls to 'try out' as it were. More importantly, the training lasts about a year, and from what I've been told, it is very difficult – and expensive."

Her blush flared again, and she quickly looked over at Toothless, sleeping on his back in the late afternoon sun. Her family was not wealthy, and she was trying to save as much money as possible in case she ever got an invitation, but the reality was she probably wouldn't have enough for a very long time – maybe not ever. While she was proud of her family, and didn't disparage her station in life, she was a little embarrassed that she had a goal that was, as of this moment, so clearly out of her grasp and status level.

Yet despite the near hopelessness of the situation, she just couldn't give up on the dream. The reality was, it didn't really matter if she ever became an official Shield Maiden or not. She was already considered the best warrior in her age group – even some of the men on Berk already didn't want to spar with her when she trained. When the tribes gathered every year, Astrid had always done extremely well in the teen category fighting competitions. She was actually quite eager to test herself against women in the adult category soon, and eventually the men as well.

In any case, she knew Stoick would never deny her a place amongst the warriors of Berk if she so desired. He never saw women as anything less than fully capable members of the tribe, and he certainly never stood in the way of one if they wanted to defend their land and people. Long years of fighting dragons had taught him never to look a gift yak in the face.

Maybe it was selfish to want it all, she thought sadly – the training and the title and the prestige. The sacrifice of time and money and effort was enough to make anyone pause. Still, the ambition thrummed in her heart, and she would try her hardest to make that life a reality if she could.

Hiccup's face took on a pensive, far away look – his go-to expression when he was thinking hard and thoroughly about something that had captured his attention. His right hand fiddled absently with the end of her braid at her mid back, while his left index finger tapped at his lower lip in an irregular pattern, another tell that his mind was working overtime. Astrid watched him without comment for a few moments. Hiccup was at his most brilliant when he was left to his thoughts without interruption, but truly, she didn't really understand where his mind was going right about now.

"Hiccup?" she asked finally, a little annoyed that the silence had gone on so long. "You've been gone a while now, time to spill." Her arms dropped and then came up to cross in front of her chest as she tried to not feel so bereft at the lack of touch between them.

"Hmm?" he mumbled, looking up and suddenly focusing on what she had just said. "Oh, it's nothing Astrid. I just had an idea, but I think it will need to wait awhile. So what are we supposed to do about us, then?" He motioned back and forth between the two of them, and then grabbed her hands into his own, looking at her with his intense green eyes. "I understand what you said, but I don't know if I can just give up all of this." He smiled, gesturing once again between the two of them.

"I know," Astrid sighed. Despite the danger it could have on both of their plans, she wasn't ready to abandon these feelings for him either. She had a suspicion that it had been too late to do so for a while now. " I think that we are going to have to be really discrete. Nobody can know how much we really care about one another. To all the others, we are just good friends."

"Friends with benefits?" he asked with a grin, pulling her close and brushing her bangs back from her face again, his fingers running through her hair.

His expression was so playfully wicked that she burst out laughing, especially when his eyebrows waggled in response. Her arms reached around his waist, bringing his head closer to hers as she gazed at him fondly. His expression calmed as she held him close, and then he returned her gaze, looking very happy, and something else, which she couldn't quite identify.

"We'll see how you do with the combat training, flyboy," she laughed lightly, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before releasing him and heading over to Toothless, who was sleeping on the rocky edge. "You missed practice today, so I think that you may require a private lesson so that you are all caught up with the others. Care to give me a lift back to Stormfly?" she called over her shoulder.

Hiccup smiled as he watched Astrid scratch Toothless's head as he woke up, his eyelids sliding down in pleasure from her ministrations. "Only if you agree to ride with me and Toothless all the way back to Berk once we let her know," he countered.

Astrid secured her axe and her satchel, and smiled at him again as she got in the tail position on Toothless's saddle, watching as Hiccup slid into his spot in front. "My pleasure," she purred into his ear as her hands wrapped around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder. Hiccup coughed and froze for a moment in surprise, before a wide grin appeared on his face.

"Hold on," he whispered as Toothless leapt up into the sky, his powerful wing strokes taking them into a higher spiral before setting off into the direction that Astrid pointed out to them. In a few moments, they were over the clearing and Astrid let out a low whistle, alerting Stormfly to their presence and giving the hand signal that she should follow them. Once Stormfly was airborne, they set a slow course for Berk, enjoying the ride and each other's company.

 _It has been an eventful day_ , Astrid thought as she relaxed against the future Chief of Berk. She had certainly done what she had planned and cheered him up, although she hadn't anticipated the lengths that she would eventually go to. So much for her 'live and let live' motto, she thought ruefully. Still, she was both nervous and excited about this step in their relationship. It had the potential to break her heart, her dreams, or both into tiny pieces, but right now she couldn't find it in herself to care. She would be the strong one, and make sure they didn't mess this up. She would enjoy being with him, she decided – for as long as it lasted.

Astrid's hands started to rub against the front of Hiccup's torso and the top of his thighs, and she grinned when she heard the little moan of pleasure that escaped from his throat. She moved her right hand under the hem of his tunic and gently brought it up, touching his bare skin underneath, content to trace tiny circles onto his chest. Her head tilted slightly, her lips to his ear as she listened to his breathing become more ragged as her hand traced through the light fuzz of chest hair. She kissed behind his ear and felt him shiver as her lips once again rested near the shell of his ear.

"Lesson one of combat training," she whispered huskily. " How to fly while you are being distracted."

"I'm in so much trouble," He groaned, hoping he could get the grin off his face before they landed in Berk, and already planning on training on Stormfly next time so he could return the favour in the back position.

He had a feeling he was going to like combat training.

Finis


End file.
